Patient Access Spec I WMCG

Wellstar Health System

About The Position

The Patient Access Spec I is typically the first point of contact for patients and visitors and helps create a pleasant, professional experience. The role interviews patients or their representatives to collect and verify demographic, financial, and insurance information; completes registrations and scheduling arrangements; verifies insurance coverage and benefits; obtains required consents and signatures; and helps coordinate payment of estimated patient liabilities. The position also responds to questions, resolves customer concerns, processes transactions and receipts, maintains patient records, and provides general hospital information and directions. It establishes financial arrangements intended to reduce financial risk and support reimbursement to Wellstar, while maintaining confidentiality and following hospital policies and procedures. The role supports patient access across inpatient, outpatient, and emergency settings. It coordinates with physicians’ offices and hospital departments on scheduling, pre-admission arrangements, screening, pre-certifications, financial counseling, and account issues. It documents patient interactions and collection activity, addresses errors and denials, and participates in quality improvement and required training. Staff are expected to demonstrate service excellence, maintain professional and courteous working relationships, and comply with Wellstar policies, standards of work, and code of conduct.

Requirements

High school diploma or GED; an associate degree in another or related field is preferred.
At least one year of experience in healthcare or an institutional work setting.
Required certification upon hire: CHAA, CPAR, CRCR, or CRCR-P; CRCR-P must be completed within 120 days.
Computer and data-entry experience.
Ability to communicate with various members of the healthcare team.
Effective written and verbal communication skills, attention to detail, self-direction, and a positive attitude.
Effective problem-solving and critical-thinking skills.
Complete PAS Operations Onboarding Training and achieve the required passing score on the final exam within 45 days of hire.
For PAS II team members serving as preceptors and mentors: maintain the specified registration accuracy rate based on individual QA audit or Epic reporting, meet minimum productivity requirements, have no corrective disciplinary action in the prior 12 months, be willing and able to precept new personnel and students, and maintain required certifications and continuing education units.

Nice To Haves

Associate degree in another or related field.
Working knowledge of patient registration systems.
Intermediate Microsoft Office Suite skills.
Epic experience.

Responsibilities

Receive physician-office requests for patient reservations and make pre-admission arrangements, advising offices about unavailable dates.
Interview patients or representatives to collect complete and accurate demographic, financial, and insurance information.
Enter, correct, and update patient information in registration and account systems; obtain medical record numbers for newborn admissions and other new patients.
Obtain required signatures, consents, attestations, and payer-specific forms.
Review physician orders, explain requested procedures and instructions to patients, and escort or arrange escorts to procedure areas and assigned rooms.
Document non-routine circumstances, patient or guarantor interactions, self-pay collection activity, and referrals to Medicaid or other assistance.
Maintain proficiency with information systems and perform required system applications, including resolving applicable Claim, DNB, Patient Work Queue, and payor-denial issues.
Assist physicians and their office staff with scheduling, pre-admission, Medicaid screening, and pre-certifications.
Greet patients and visitors professionally, answer phone calls, respond to requests, and provide hospital information and directions.
Receive patient valuables for safekeeping in the hospital safe.
Maintain courteous and cooperative working relationships and tactfully handle difficult situations.
Attempt to collect estimated self-pay balances at appropriate collection points and arrange payment with guarantors, including before discharge when possible.
Complete financial evaluation forms and identify patients with inadequate insurance coverage or possible eligibility for financial assistance programs.
Refer patients or guarantors to outside funding assistance sources as needed and maintain knowledge of assistance programs and eligibility requirements.
Contact scheduled patients at home to gather pre-admission information, explain financial policies, estimate self-pay balances, and obtain a payment commitment.
Interview inpatients and select self-pay outpatients at registration or within 24 hours of admission to verify insurance and financial information, explain policies, and collect estimated balances.
Coordinate financial counseling with Admitting, Outpatient Registration, Emergency Registration, Utilization Review, Nursing, Social Services, and Patient Financial Services.
Verify insurance coverage and benefits, work efficiently within designated time frames, and report self-pay collection results to the direct supervisor as required.
Provide feedback to PAS management about self-pay collection and data integrity issues and consistently meet or exceed monthly quotas.
Observe work hours, provide appropriate notice of absences, tardiness, and schedule changes, attend requested meetings, and complete mandatory training.
Comply with Wellstar policies, standards of work, and code of conduct, and perform other duties as assigned.